US Justice Department subpoenas New York Times journalists over Air Force One reporting

The US Department of Justice has subpoenaed several New York Times journalists to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan over reporting on security concerns linked to President Donald Trump's new Air Force One. The newspaper said some of the subpoenas were delivered to reporters at their homes, and that the journalists were ordered to appear next week. The move marks a sharp escalation in a dispute between the administration and the press over coverage of the aircraft.

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The journalists named by the newspaper include Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt. According to the report, the subpoenas were issued after FBI Director Kash Patel and other Justice Department officials met at the White House on Friday to discuss the matter.

The Justice Department said reporters were not the targets and that the focus was on those leaking classified information. It also said it valued and appreciated the role of the press, while insisting that the case was about leaks rather than journalism. The case centres on reporting about the new aircraft, which was described as a gift from Qatar and which the administration spent $400 million to retrofit and upgrade.

The jet entered service last week, but Trump used an older Air Force One aircraft to leave a NATO summit in Turkey and later referred to threats against him made by Iran. The subpoenas have drawn criticism from press-freedom advocates, who said the use of federal law enforcement at journalists' homes was alarming and inconsistent with longstanding Justice Department practice. The development matters because it touches on the balance between national security investigations and protections for the press in the United States.

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Grand jury subpoenas directed at journalists are unusual and can raise concerns about source protection, especially when the reporting involves government security issues. The case also comes at a time when the administration's relationship with major news organisations is already strained, making the legal and political stakes higher. The dispute sits within a broader debate over how far prosecutors can go in pursuing leaks that may involve classified material.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said the subpoenas broke with longstanding Justice Department practice, which it described as requiring prosecutors to seek information from reporters only as a last resort. The Times said the action represented a serious threat to press independence, while the department maintained that its aim was to identify the source of the leak rather than punish reporters for their work. It remains unclear what information prosecutors are seeking from the journalists and whether the grand jury will hear testimony next week as planned.

It is also not clear whether the subpoenas will be challenged in court or whether additional journalists could be drawn into the inquiry. The next developments are likely to focus on the scope of the investigation, the legal arguments over press protections and whether the administration expands its response to the reporting.

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